G Osman

SOMALIA & TÜRKİYE 🇸🇴🇹🇷 are taking their strategic alliance all the way to SPACE! As more details emerge about a new agreement between Ankara & #Mogadishu concerning a joint "Space Center", excitement keeps on mounting in both countries. Here's what we know so far: ▪️Turkish President #Erdogan has publicly announced in his #AkParti MYK meeting that Türkiye will be building a #SpaceCenter in the brotherly Muslim country, which also happens to be one of Ankara's closest non-#NATO allies. ▪️Somalia's key location right on the Earth's equator as well as East-facing frontage to the vast Indian Ocean makes it a prime spot for launching rockets; especially the ones that carry geosynchronous payloads such as communications satellites like #Turksat. Because of the Earth's rotation, the equator gives rockets the maximum angular momentum, saving fuel and reducing launch costs. Meanwhile, ocean access allows initial rocket boosters & stages to safely fall back down and be retrieved for reuse. ▪️Turkish Parliament, which just passed its 2025 fiscal budget last week, has earmarked $6 BILLION for the proposed Space Center, $350 million of which is to be remitted to #Mogadishu immediately to get the project started. ▪️ UAE & Qatar, both Türkiye's existing partners on the Iraqi Development Road project, have reportedly also shown interest and might become co-financiers in exchange for a commercial stake in the Space Center and other favors from Türkiye. ▪️ If all goes well, construction is to begin as early as 2025 with the aim to conduct a maiden launch to orbit in 2028. ▪️Space Center will include a dock for cargo ships, one or more launchpads to accommodate various rockets, spacecraft assembly facilities, cryogenic fuel processing & storage tanks, associated administration, launch control, engineering, telemetry and service buildings. ▪️ #TurkishNavy is reportedly being consulted for the feasibility of constructing its planned naval base within close proximity to aid with logistics & security of the Space Center. Türkiye also plans to open a shipyard nearby to assist with the building & maintenance of the Somali Navy. ▪️Unlike Russia's arrangement with Kazakhstan in the case of the #Baikonur Cosmodrome, Türkiye will NOT simply be renting land from Somalia. The proposed Space Center will be JOINTLY owned and operated by both Türkiye and Somalia, other nations if they do sign up, as well as [possibly] 3rd parties which could include non-state actors such as #SpaceX. ▪️It just so happens that SpaceX executive Michaela Pawlak visited Somalia's ambassador to the U.S., Dahir Hassan, last Thursday, possibly to discuss partnering in the project. Türkiye already has a commercial relationship with SpaceX. ▪️Despite leaks to the mainstream media, there's a level of [understandable] confidentiality in Ankara surrounding this project due to its strategic and multifaceted nature. Our FOIL open records request to the TBMM Budgetary Commission asking whether the $6 billion Türkiye has set aside would also cover the planned naval base, shipyard as well as a separate military missile test range hasn't yet been answered. As an emerging think-tank with a keen interest in advancing Turkish-Somali ties to the next level, we'll continue to monitor this and other bilateral developments as closely as we can. Make sure to follow us for regular updates!